States lead the US toward a new era in its war on drugs

Are prospects improving for addicts hoping to beat their habit? As well as new ways to treat addiction (see "Mind-altering drug could offer life free of heroin"), the US government seems to be adopting a more nuanced take on its "war on drugs" – a policy that has seen the US imprison a higher proportion of people on drugs charges than any other nation.

On 12 August, US Attorney General Eric Holder announced a plan to reduce the currently lengthy minimum sentences handed out under federal law for non-violent drug offenders. And some states are bringing in even more significant changes.

In 2007, Texas abandoned plans to spend $523 million on building prisons, and instead invested around half that on crime-reduction policies, including expanding substance-abuse treatment programmes. Crime rates in the state are now down to levels not seen since the 1960s.

This bold move may not have happened had it not been for the Washington State Institute for Public Policy, which has led the way in evidence-based criminal justice. The institute conducts rigorous studies to determine whether particular policies work and whether they provide value for money. It has found that one of the most cost-effective approaches is to offer reduced sentences to convicted drug offenders if they undergo chemical-dependency treatment while in prison.

Arguably, the most impressive approach is "swift and certain sanctions". This involves probation with strict monitoring, in which any offender caught using drugs knows they will be immediately jailed – for just a few days. A trial in Hawaii found offenders enrolled into the scheme were 55 per cent less likely to be rearrested.

As they involve sanctions, such approaches are acceptable to politicians who might otherwise worry about being seen as soft on crime. That means the measures are acceptable on both sides of the political spectrum, says Steven Raphael at the University of California, Berkeley. "The country seems to be ready for this change."

This article appeared in print under the headline "A new era in America's war on drugs"

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